Legault orders crackdown on COVID scofflaws

With signs some Quebecers are still flouting COVID-19 rules and the Christmas season starting, Premier François Legault took a hard line Wednesday, announcing police forces have been ordered to issue more fines to citizens who refuse to comply.

But Legault has conceded some Quebecers do not seem to be getting the message, harbouring an ill-founded impression they can't get sick or can't infect others.

“It's when we are not scared, when we are not worried, when we think we are invincible that we take more risks,” Legault said at a pandemic news conference at the legislature. “It's human nature.

“But now we are starting to see people, including in Saguenay— Lac- St-jean, saying, ` Whoa! It's true, there's a risk.' The more they realize this, the more the cases drop.”

Legault made the comment as Quebec continues to break records for COVID-19 cases and struggles to flatten the curve. The province announced another 1,728 cases Wednesday, and 37 more deaths. Montreal reported 478 new cases, Quebec City 230.

About 70 per cent of the new deaths have been in CHSLDS and private nursing homes.

At the same time, there have been reports some Quebecers are planning Christmas gatherings. Other reports indicated not all clients in stores and malls are respecting the rules about masks and distancing.

“Enough is enough,” a toughtalking Legault said. “We are no longer at the stage of warning people. I want to crank (up) the number of tickets, and that's what I told police.”

Fines for violators range from $1,500 to a high of $6,000, he noted. Stores, companies and homes are targeted for spot checks.

“We cannot allow the minority to put the majority at risk,” Legault said. “We need to break this second wave.”

But the premier said he is holding back on any further lockdowns even if every option remains on the table.

“The answer lies in the hands of Quebecers,” he said. “If people respect the rules, there won't be a problem. But if people don't respect the rules, we will have to go much further.”

To get the message about respecting rules across to more people, Quebec issued a province-wide alert on phones and media Wednesday to remind citizens of the rules.

At precisely 2:30 p.m., the message — including the warning of increased police presence — landed on the phones of millions of Quebecers and flashed across TV screens.

But Health Minister Christian Dubé revealed another alarming new trend: citizens with symptoms waiting too long to get themselves tested. Unfortunately, it is in the first days a person is infected that they are most contagious.

He said the result of such behaviours is a dramatic increase in the number of positive cases, which Quebec is seeing today.

“People absolutely have to go and be tested as soon as possible,” Dubé said, noting testing capacity is no longer an issue with Quebec able to test as many as 35,000 people a day.

Both Legault and Dubé said they are increasingly concerned about the number of hospitalizations, which hit 844 Wednesday.

The direct result of more COVID-19 hospitalizations is a reduction of other activities such as surgeries, which puts in danger the health of thousands of others, they said.

Quebec's vaccination rollout, however, remains on track, a sign there is light at the end of the tunnel, Legault said.

“If (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau can confirm several hundred thousand doses (of vaccine) by the end of January, we're in business, we will be rolling,” Legault said. “And I will sleep better.”

Quebec is still expecting a delivery of 55,000 doses of vaccine by Jan. 4 and the delivery of 1.3 million more by March 31. The goal is to vaccinate 650,000 people by March 31.

Dubé responded to comments from Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief health officer, who said Tuesday the Pfizer-biontech vaccine could only be used at the distribution centres because it has to be kept at minus-70 degrees Celsius.

Such a restriction would impede Quebec's plan to vaccinate seniors and health workers in their CHSLDS.

Dubé said he has assurances no such restriction exists and the first five boxes of precious vaccine, expected Monday, will go directly to two CHSLDS, one in Montreal and one in Quebec City.

He said Quebec's plan to then target 20 sites in 16 regions as of Dec. 21 will also be in CHSLDS.

Dubé also said a last-minute change in the person in charge of the vaccine rollout will not affect Quebec's plan.

Dubé said Jérôme Gagnon, who stepped down for health reasons, will be replaced by another senior bureaucrat, Daniel Paré, director general of the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux Chaudière-appalaches.

We cannot allow the minority to put the majority at risk. We need to break this second wave.